About

Welcome to Cairnsrock Kennels! My story begins with the day my father brought home two dogs which someone had given him. One for me and one for my sister. I don’t remember having the dogs but a few days, then they were gone. We named them Pepsi and Pepper! When visiting my Kansas grandparents, a neighbor’s dog was following my Uncle and his name was Pepsi. Have I ever liked the Pepsi drink – no! I just liked the name

The next time my father brought home a small Beagle puppy for me was in the 2nd grade for my birthday. Of course, I named him Pepsi! Pepsi was everything to me. He was my friend who I talked to, sang songs, and walked him. He was my buddy! Unfortunately, my father didn’t prepare for any of these dogs. He put up a fence which any dog could escape. Soon, he had a chain link fence put in the back yard with a dog house. Then, Pepsi started digging to get out and climbing the fence. When we moved, the fence moved with us, and Pepsi had his original dog house all his life. Much later in life, I realized my father never had a dog. Dad made sure Pepsi was fed and watered every day for me. We shared Pepsi.

One day my father brought home an older female Beagle named Ceice. She was such a sweet girl, but looked tired. Cecie had two litters. She had a singleton named Ringo in her first litter. In the second litter, she had three puppies which I named after friends I had to leave behind when we moved: Lisa, Susie, and _____. I was only allowed to keep Lisa, and Cecie left also. Pepsi and Lisa lived out their lives with us. Pepsi became ill while I was in college. After I left for college, Lisa and Sham (my sister’s Collie) ran away from home before Thanksgiving my second year. I was heartbroken plus shocked to find out what happened to them.

My college boyfriend bought me a Brittany which I really enjoyed for a short-time. He lived between my house and his house until he got Parvo. I had taken him to the vet for shots, and he picked up Parvo at the vets office. It was a struggle and my boyfriend spent nearly all his money for treatments. Thankfully, he lived. I ended up marrying my boyfriend and moving for his job. Our Brutus stayed with my parents to protect their house. While they were visiting me, Brutus got out and my parents rushed home. They could hear him crying, and someone finally released him so he could go home. Dad had the gate fixed!

From these experiences, it taught me to secure my dogs. I absolutely hated the feeling that I didn’t know if my Pepsi was alive or dead each time he escaped our fence, and I had to search for him on foot by myself. Throughout the rest of my life, my dogs have been secured under my control!

My husband’s breed was Chihuahua. I doubt I would have ever attempted to breed dogs if it wasn’t for my father, and. taking care of the puppies. We had two litters of Chihuahuas.

Then, we moved out of state to the East Coast. While we were there, I lost my last Chihuahua. I began my search for a new breed. While I was growing up, I would start bugging my mother in the fall to let me know when The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella (the play version) would be on TV. I absolutely loved Toto, but always thought he must be a mixed breed because I had never seen one and the internet didn’t exist. In my Internet search, I saw the Westie which reminded me of Toto. I also liked the Scottish Terrier. I went to a site to learn about breeds and which one would fit my lifestyle. Well, there was the Cairn Terrier I had always wanted and never knew they existed!

Next, I let my husband call people to find our new dog. Unfortunately, this was a mistake. When he got off the phone, with the first breeder, he was mad. He was mad because the breeder had asked him all kinds of questions which he felt weren’t necessary since he had dogs previously. The next breeder he liked more because they didn’t ask the questions. Which one did we go to see? The second breeder. They lived in a nice area of town, so they must be a good breeder – wrong! I ended up taking home a different dog than I picked and spent so much money on her at the vets office, plus the little girl was miserable. I had to take her to the vets office three (3) times before they would believe me she had a urinary tract infection. It was a corporate vet where new vets start. The third vet almost apologized to me – saying they rarely see a urinary tract infection in a puppy. This poor puppy was miserable, and we were miserable. She went to the bathroom in her crate, on the floor, chewed the baseboards, and tore the wallpaper off the wall of our apartment. We didn’t know what to do with her. Finally, I told my husband I was taking her to Texas to get her outside in a yard to see if she would be happier. My husband ended up naming her “TAZZ”. While I was at the story buying things for her, he happened upon a cartoon. As soon as I got home, he said he knew what to name her!

Tazz lived a long life with us. I don’t think anyone else would have put up with her and would have been dumped along the side of the road. When I was in Texas, I had her spade and then all her problems went away. I know the breeder just wanted to get rid of her since she switched the puppies on me telling me she would be the better to bred since she was larger. She had a very difficult temperament. I started researching on the internet. It was time to hire a trainer – which I learned was to train me – not Tazz!

On the second Cairn, we didn’t do much better with the breeder. Cairns were hard to find, so we took what we could find. Chase turned out to be the perfect boy with a really soft coat and lived a very long life. When we returned to Texas, we wanted a girl which we could bred. I am surprised we even found one. Knowing what I know now, CoCo wasn’t the best foundation bitch to breed pets. The internet was more usable and I researched. I found a club in Longview, Texas which had posted great information regarding how to work with puppies you bred. I also found another site which I learned was a Regional Club associated with the Cairn Terrier Club of America. The Trinity Valley Cairn Club had information which emphasized breeding to better your Cairns. As a pet breeder, it was hard to find boys to breed to my girl. When I went into a store with my Cairn, someone told me about a Cairn breeder nearby which I never found on the internet. I went to her place which she had worked hard to develop. She was a former teacher and help parties at her party barn. All the kids would be introduced to the Cairns. Some Cairns would ride on the hayride while she gave the kids a tour of the farm. She became a lifetime friend who let me breed to her dogs – FREE! So, I had a few litters using her boys. As I had read, I wanted more for my Cairns.

I had already gone to local AKC shows to watch the Cairns and speak to breeders to learn more about taking care of the dog and the coat while in another state. In the spring, I started going to shows in Ft Worth. What I didn’t understand, this was a speciality. I saw professional handlers which I recognized from Westminster and any other dog show I could watch as they became more familiar with TV programming. So, I watched all the big shows from the time I was young plus the Kentucky Derby and other horse races. I was very shy and never thought someone I would go into a ring, drive to shows all over the country, learn to groom a show Cairn, or have such beautiful Cairns as I do now.

What is a Speciality? This opened my eyes to seeing beautifully bred Cairns. Over the years, I learned there are different types of Cairns, and some had been imported. It was the beginning of a whole new world! Cairns come from all over the country to compete at a Speciality. There are different types of Cairns in different parts of our country.

Definition of a Speciality – An AKC Specialty is a dog show limited to a single breed and held by a breed-specific club, making it a prestigious event for serious breeders and fanciers to compete and share expertise, unlike all-breed shows. These can be local, regional, or national, with the National Specialty being the most significant annual event for that breed, often including health seminars and performance events alongside conformation. And never did I ever think I would have nice enough Cairns to compete in a Specialty.

After I decided the best way to bred Cairns we to show them and meet other breeders, I had a very hard time getting a show quality Cairn. The struggle just made me more determined. Breeders have worked very hard to develop their lines and work to preserve their lines. They want to make sure they can trust someone with their dogs. If you want to show, they usually have to be a Co-Owner of the dog to make sure it is bred correctly.

Showing is a Game – Breeding is an Art!

Showing is how you meet other breeders and look at their dogs. Breeding is hard – if you do it right – and expensive. More pure breeds are becoming scarce which also makes breeding harder. Most AKC breeders should be working hard to breed the best dogs they can – which is becoming more difficult because it is harder to find male dogs for breeding. In the old days, breeders/handlers had kennels with stud dogs. The show world expanded due to Baby Boomers and now it is shrinking due to the decline of Baby Boomers and the cost. Shows don’t just happen by themselves; they take planning and workers. We are always crateful to the people who volunteer their time to help with shows!

To Fiind A Cairn Breeder

If you are looking for a Cairn, find a show and meet the breeders. Unfortunately, with the decline in shows, this is difficult – especially in some states – like Texas.

You can find shows here by state: https://www.infodog.com/

Shows now offer other events like Dock Diving, FCAT, Scent work, which any dog can compete.

Clubs

All my Cairns are registered at the American Kennel Club (AKC) in which I am a Breeder of Merit.

I am a member of the Tyler Texas Kennel Club.